Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised comments by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu linking Nigeria’s current security challenges to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting that the administration of President Bola Tinubu inherited the insecurity crisis from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Atiku’s reaction followed Ribadu’s remarks concerning the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State, where armed attackers kidnapped schoolchildren and staff from schools in the Ahoro-Esiele area of Oriire Local Government Area.

In response, Atiku, through his media aide, Paul Ibe, accused the APC-led government of attempting to shift responsibility for the worsening security situation rather than addressing the crisis.

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Reacting in a post on X, Ibe said:

“This is revisionism à la APC. It is disingenuous of NSA Nuhu Ribadu to blame the inability of the Tinubu-led APC administration to safely rescue the Oyo abducted school children on the PDP government that the APC replaced 11 years ago.”

He argued that the current administration should be held accountable for addressing insecurity instead of attributing present challenges to a government that left office more than a decade ago.

Ibe also questioned the Federal Government’s response time to the abduction, noting that it took two weeks before a presidential delegation visited the affected families in Oyo State.

“By the way, it took the President two weeks to send a delegation to visit the families of the abducted school children and teachers in Oriire.”

The ADC presidential campaign further maintained that the security challenges confronting the country were inherited from the APC administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, not the PDP.

“Tinubu inherited security challenges from his APC predecessor. Keep on blaming everyone except yourself while the children continue to languish in the custody of their abductors in Oyo, Borno and elsewhere.”

The exchange comes amid growing public concern over insecurity across parts of the country, particularly following the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, which has triggered protests and renewed calls for stronger government action to secure their release.

The Federal Government has since dispatched a delegation, led by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila and Nuhu Ribadu, to engage with affected communities and families of the victims.

However, opposition figures continue to argue that more decisive action is needed to tackle the country’s security challenges and ensure the safe return of those still in captivity.